From what I know, Sayaka is a Japanese sculptor who uses everyday materials to create different sculptures of animals and what she sees around her. Ganz uses plastic, metal and motion to create emphasis in her artwork through using a variety of different odd shapes which piece together, she finds her materials at thrift stores. she focuses on objects that have been either discarded or used, in many ways she believes that even though an object has been used before it still has a purpose. She believes that like the objects that she finds, society can work together in harmony to create something beautiful.she believes in finding a way to reduce the use of non-degradable materials by showing and inspiring people that that the materials that are "thrown away" can still be used "when we think about these things we value them". (http://www.sayakaganz.com/about/statement/) when I see her use of plastic becoming involved it reminds me of a toy that has been remolded like her "piranha" through the use of different colored cutlery and ladles etc using specific parts. She has more of a playful side to her creations.
This was part of her "swimming" collection, or as i would see it more as the "aquatics".
I really admire that she wants to find a way of using what other people have discarded as a way of creating a message to show that something beautiful can be made out of what we have instead of mass producing and being wasteful. This truly has an effect of making people think whenever they see her work. Ganz does not attempt to cover up anything, she displays everything, it pieces together and works successfully, In relation to my own work this is the sort of effect that I want to create, for now I focus on collecting images from small things in machinery and nostalgic objects that people forget exist, if anything I would like to be like Ganz and create similar sculptures as she creates as she has had an impact on myself.
This is from her "running" collection which she called "night".
This was one of the art pieces she created called "Confluence" which consists of many horses coming out of the wall as though bursting through and coming alive. To me there is a great sense of power and speed which can be seen from these sculptures. due to their location, it makes a lot of difference and creates more of an atmosphere, this artwork is given a situation, a purpose and story behind it leaving the viewer to think why horses are charging through the building, almost making them ghostly with having only half a body. In a way it can be shown that there is a sense of liberation in process, a sense of freedom which usually fits into a Symbolism with the horse (to me personally it does)
This sculpture is called "resurgance" which I found impressive. with the stairs and escalators, sandwiching the structure with straight lines compared to its bends it adds a great contrast, also with the dull monotone colors surrounding it in comparison to the colors which are bright, glassy and colorful it makes the area seem more optimistic and calmer. In a personal view when I see this I imagine the word "life" as it reminds me of DNA ,an umbilical cord or a large serpent, it flows through the building like water, moves around its obstacles, just this single structure has so many meanings and could be interpreted many ways. this is why i like Sayaka's work so much, she is truly an inspiration to me.
An interview with the artist
I contacted Sayaka and requested for an interview, she was kind enough to give me some information about herself and her work through a compilation of past questions she had been asked.
So if this being my own questions for an interview between me and her, my interview would have gone like this.
"Please tell me about yourself and what inspired you to build sculptures"
Which she would reply "I have always loved playing with puzzles of all kinds and fitting pieces together gave me great satisfaction, as i was born in Japan I noticed that we shun waste. Shinto beliefs say that all objects and organisms have spirits.The objects that get discarded before their time cry at night in the trash bin, they teach to little school children this at preschool, this stuck in my head as a vivid image, as a child my favorite toys were the shape sorter, jigsaw puzzles and Lego.
I am originally from Yokohama in Japan, but have been to places like Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Ohio, USA where I studied my MFA in 3D studies at Bowling Green State University. I have moved around a lot and have attempted to start over many times, I tried to make new friends but never fit in which made me relate back to the scraps and discarded objects, the pieces that did not have a place or didn't fit in anywhere this continued into my teenage years, with growing up in several different countries, this created a lot of teenage awkwardness trying to fit in. I have a deep sympathy for discarded objects and want to make them fit together to create something beautiful, alive and free.
I studied my BFA degree in Printmaking at Indiana University, I have always been interested in sculptures and building three dimensional objects but it is a difficult field to get into. You would need to know the materials, tools and physics very well at either intellectual level or intuitive level to execute anything well".
"What is the message behind your work?"
"My message is that we do not have to fit perfectly with the people we love, even if we see a wide gap in some places and a small hole in others. When one steps back and sees the whole community, there is still great beauty and harmony there, you do not have to bend and curl to make yourself perfect. There really is a place for everyone to fit in this world"
"Where would you find your materials and did you need to learn any techniques before construction of your artwork?"
"They don't sell materials for sculpture in art supply stores and it took me a while to getting around to some classes and workshops to discover welding, a process i fell in love with, this was in the year I was working towards my printmaking degree. Rather than switching my concentration I stuck with Printmaking, I received my MFA in sculpture 7 years later, what I found most successful to work with was to piece together random objects that I find from old scraps that had been discarded. This was inspired from my mother because when I was younger, she always had craft hobbies which she would give me the scrap materials to work with to piece together, however the sculptures I created left me unsatisfied and frustrated, however with this continued to push myself to build something better, I wanted to make more."
"I have noticed in a lot of your work that you involve animals, Is there a certain aspect of them you like or a reason why your work is focused on them so much?"
Animals represent a certain kind of freedom, perhaps from the stresses of the social rules and common sense we sometimes struggle, the use of the animal theme comes partly from my desire to break free from human social struggles and conflicts, I want to set the spirits of these discarded objects free by turning them into animals. Animals also exist between human and object realms in most of our minds, being so clearly alive yet being bought along and belonging to a person or a group of people, we can relate to them much easier than we can relate to inanimate objects, yet they are not us.
"When looking at your work, I am impressed at how well you have captured the accurate shapes and forms of the animal to make them seem as though they are alive. what was the process to creating your work?"
"To start with, I research extensively into each animal through photo references before I start building my sculptures, I do not study the anatomy rather the pose from many different angles to understand the form, volume and how the joints fit together, pivot points etc. I then weld an armature with thick steel wire for structural support, this is all carefully planned and executed, i make sure the armature has many holes, intersections and places I can tie the plastic objects that i choose to use. once the armature is completed, I begin painting it and start attaching objects by drilling small holes and tying them onto the armature with electrical wire that is coated with vinyl in the same general color as the plastic objects, this stage of my process is spontaneous and intuitive."
"What feelings or emotions do you get from your work?"
"I feel curiosity, amazement and hope. I want people to have fun looking at new possibilities for trash and exploring these thoughts instead of recycling because of a feeling of obligation or guilt"
"Were there any obstacles within the process of creating your artwork and how did you overcome these problems?"
"There is no specific way to use plastics for art, no manuals or instructions and there are no art supply stores that sell what I need, the process is trial and error and I enjoy the challenge and solving the problems and making sense of the puzzle, I would say that the most challenging part of my work is building the right support structure, the armature. In order for the sculpture to stand, it needs to support the weight, for me to do this I need to merge both support and artwork together so it looks visually appealing, this takes the longest time to focus on. The intuitive side involves stepping back and looking from a distance then working on certain areas until it has a certain flow to it."
"An important question, is there anything else other than animals that inspires you, such as mentors, friends, artists or sculptors that have had a big influence on your work?"
"My inspiration is from the objects that I find and use, I was introduced to the work of Deborah Butterfield when I was still a student, I love her work. There are many other artists that use discarded objects that I do like and find it inspiring to look at how each artist does something different, yet uses similar materials and has different outcomes.
I have always had a great relationship with my professors and teachers. They have guided and pushed me in the directions I was already headed on my own without trying to influence my work to their taste. My greatest mentor is my husband, who is also an artist, he gives me a push in the back when I am reluctant to make changes to what I have made or when I am frightened to make the next move."
"Is there anybody else writing about you right now or collecting your work?"
"Currently I have a very strong presence. I have been introduced on several blogs and online magazines. I receive a few fan emails each week which is very encouraging. Here in fort Wayne there are a few people that own several of my sculptures, but other than that I do not have any collectors yet."
"Does anybody represent you and your work?"
"I do not have a gallery representation or any dealers right now. I represent myself."
"Could you talk about any past or present art projects you are working on?"
"A couple of major projects that I have worked on were in 2010 are as follows:
March 2010: - Ambush - Permanent installation in the new Educational Wing of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN. This is a 6 foot sculpture of a tiger leaping from underbrush. It was placed in the Educational Wing along with hands-on activity station designed by me, children can make their own sculptures out of colorful kitchen utensils with pre-drilled holes that can be assembled with twist ties.
August 2010: - Re-Surgence - Permanent public installation in the lobby of the Lucas County Multipurpose Arena, Toledo, Ohio. This was a group project with two colleagues Greg Mueller and Steve Williams. We created a wall mounting reclaimed plastic sculpture in the silhouette of the Manumee river as it flows into the city of Toledo. It has an expanded aluminium mesh backing with predominantly blue and green objects to create the form, the piece is lit with LED lights behind the mesh, making the plastic glow casting scaly shadows from the metal mesh onto the plastic objects."
My conclusion
From this I understand what she means, that if an artist is to make a sculpture, they have to have an interest, to have a great understanding of whats being built and to plan how to create whatever is intended to be built. it is a good idea to work with different techniques and materials to see what is most comfortable, it is also useful to have a small philosophy or purpose to work from for creating the work even if it is randomly placed. To also stand alone and represent herself I find really admirable and courageous to put herself out there. from what I have learned from what Sayaka has said, we should treat objects, animals and ourselves with more respect, that we don't all have to be perfect to find a place in the world, to help one another to create a better community as one to create something beautiful and amazing. I have also personally learned that for my artwork to continue I will need to decide on a form of designing my work, a structure to work on, the materials needed and a lot of problem solving. It will be a challenge but if I am to become as great as Sayaka one day, I must give it my all and do my best.
I want to thank Sayaka for giving me such a great deal of information about herself and her artwork and I look forward to her future projects.
